Musethica Week at Spring Edition of Zeist Music Days
From April 6th - 12th, the Musethica Session took place as part of the Zeister Muziekdagen. The young Ensemble Finale and the internationally renowned violist Ásdís Valdimarsdóttir, who also coached the ensemble as their tutor, were the festival’s special guests. The week concluded with the festive Spring Concert on Saturday, April 12th, in the main church hall of the Evangelical Brotherhood Community in Zeist. This concert not only marked the end of an inspiring week of music but also served as the official start of the Zeister Muziekdagen’s 2025 festival season.
Since 2019, the Zeister Muziekdagen has been a proud partner of Musethica International, an educational initiative that offers young musicians intensive coaching and stage experience outside traditional concert venues. Musethica brings classical music to places where it is rarely heard, such as schools, refugee shelters, correctional facilities, hospitals, and community centers—creating profound musical experiences for both performers and audiences.
This spring edition featured the exceptional Ensemble Finale: Victoria Gelman and Omer Herz (violin), Leikje Glick (viola), and Gali Knaani (cello). Founded in 2020 by four outstanding young Israeli musicians, the quartet has already earned international acclaim.
Throughout the week, they were intensively tutored by Ásdís Valdimarsdóttir, an Icelandic violist and professor at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. A Juilliard graduate who studied with Nobuko Imai in Germany, Valdimarsdóttir was formerly principal viola of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and a member of the Miami, Chilingirian, and Utrecht String Quartets. She has performed at international festivals such as Marlboro, Prussia Cove, and Kuhmo, and has released recordings including The Voice of the Viola in Times of Oppression and Stolen Schubert.
Together, they performed works by Felix Mendelssohn (String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13), Caroline Shaw (Blueprint), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (String Quintet in C, KV 515). The repertoire was performed more than ten times over the course of the week in a variety of social settings—each with its own atmosphere, audience and impact.
In total, nearly 400 people in seven institutions enjoyed live chamber music:
Het Vertrouwde Dorp in Houten, a care home for people with dementia.
De Heygraeff in Woudenberg, a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities.
The Judicial Complex for Foreign Nationals in Soesterberg, housing for families awaiting deportation.
Ontmoetingscentrum Binnenbos in Zeist, a lively meeting place for local residents.
The Van Leersumschool in Zeist, a primary school for children with autism, where we played four short concerts tailored to different age groups.
The Penitentiary Institution in Nieuwegein, where adult male detainees attended a moving concert.
De Wijngaard in Bosch en Duin, a nursing home with an attentive and warm audience.
At every location, the musicians were welcomed with great warmth and openness. One care home even rolled out a red carpet and golden balloon arch to welcome them. The interaction between audiences, tutor, and musicians was heartwarming. At a correctional facility, the new director expressed such enthusiasm that he proposed hosting the next concert in a larger space—and perhaps even allowing digital sheet music to reduce paper use.
The final performance—the Spring Concert in the Evangelical Brotherhood Church in Zeist—was a beautiful culmination of the week. Over 250 concertgoers attended the public event, which featured the same pieces performed in the social institutions throughout the week. For Ensemble Finale, it was the icing on the cake.
The next Musethica Week is scheduled for fall 2025.
